1 Star Wars Disaster Project Could Have Ended Much Differently had Robin Williams Been a Part of it

Robin Williams had made a household name all thanks to his work in television and film. Best known for his improvisational skills, quick wit, and diverse range of performances, he captivated audiences all around the world. Given that his presence in any project surely becomes an advantage, he could have changed the trajectory of The Star Wars Holiday Special (in his own way). It was the one Star Wars disaster project that was released 18 months after the first franchise film, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. 

It was recounted in the new documentary, A Disturbance in the Force, which threw light on what went wrong with the series. It also revealed the fact that the former was being considered for the project which ultimately would have affected it. 

Robin Williams Was Considered in The Star Wars Holiday Special

As per the documentary, A Disturbance in the Force, a rumor was unveiled that Robin Williams was considered for The Star Wars Holiday Special. However, he was rejected as he was yet to make his name in Hollywood. Given that the project was already on the sinking ship, he could have at least added his humor but it never came to fruition. 

Pop culture historian, Brian Ward recalled how Williams got connected to the project. As per CBR, the late comedian garnered director David Acomba’s attention while he was on the hunt at various Los Angeles comedy clubs for talent.

At the time, the Oscar-winning actor was already filming the first season of Mork & Mindy. While Acomba desperately wanted the former on The Holiday Special, Ken and Mitzie Welch, variety show experts strongly denied the notion. The duo wanted a renowned face in the industry instead of featuring unknown and older actors like Art Carney and Beatrice Arthur were chosen instead. 

The Star Wars Holiday Special Became Star Wars’ Disastrous Project!

The 1978 holiday special was only broadcast once due to the poor critical response. One of the reasons that contributed to its failure was fear that the audience would forget about the then-newly released saga. Given that the first installment was released not long before the project, executives wanted something that could retain the audience until the next part Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back was out. 

Another aspect was the writers’ lack of understanding of the genre. The writers involved in the project had experience in penning comedy shows not sci-fi which heavily compensated for the quality of that project. Meanwhile, franchise creator George Lucas was already working on the next installment, thus making his schedule jam-packed to focus on the holiday special. Creative differences between the former director and producers further led the project to affect its quality and production budget. 

A Disturbance in the Force is available to stream on the Roku channel.